Why do cats say "meow"?

[Boojatta]

[jumptheshadow]

1. To summon their servants

And to complain that more waitstaff is needed.

[TZ]

8. This is the correct answer

My cats only meow when they need some sort of attention RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!:)

[Xipe Totec]

13. Our feline masters have decided there may be intelligent life on Earth after all

Destruction of the Earth has been postponed until the catnip wears off.

It's up to humanity to save civilization now.

All we need to do is keep our masters doped up in catnip indefinitely....

[HopeHoops]

2. Because the word they WANT to say is too hard to pronounce.

"pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis"

Cats don't like to put any more effort into things than is necessary.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Because they don't have the facial muscles to say "Fuck You."

[MrMickeysMom]

16. b'wah...

they do, but we're not worth it

[azmouse]

4. They are really trying to say "mouse".

Trust me on this. :)

<:3)~~~~~~~~

[madinmaryland]

5. Other: FEED ME NOW!!!! RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. The only part of the word that counts for cats is....ME

[jrandom421]

7. None of our cats meow

They chirp, squeak, purr, trill, warble, squawk, whine, protest, chitter, and so on, but they don't meow. I've read that cats can create over 150 different sounds and I think I've heard 149 of them, but not a meow from any of them. Could it be because they're Maine Coon or Maine Coon mixes?

[SoxFan]

11. I think you're on to something

One of my cats is part Maine Coon, and she has a better vocabulary than most humans I know. She meows, chirps, trills, frips, murphs, moos, prawns, pruts, cows, mehs, meeps, peeps, perts, and quacks, among other noises.

[astral]

17. That's the truth about Maine Coons.

My cat sure has learned when he makes a very new interesting different kinda sound at me it invariably gets him my full attention. He is just hilarious. He made a very long sentence at me this morning with ups and downs in his pitch to let me know I'd just better NOT forget to refill his bowls before leaving for work!

[SoxFan]

20. LOL

People think I'm nuts when I tell them Brianna does that!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. Mostly they don't.

One of mine, Jeoffry the Very Loud Tabby, just walked in, looked at me and said "nerr." Pixie trills and mutters; Milo usually says something like "arrarrr." They hardly ever say "meow."

[stray cat]

10. My cats have almost never meowed - they cry, yowl, chirp, and spit but don't meow

[sakabatou]

12. To make us do their bidding

We humans are their slaves.

[Roon]

14. Daniel meows when she is hungry for treats or depressed

either way, I give her her treat and she quiets down.

Barney doesn't make much noise but when he does, it's just your basic meow.

I used to have a black cat that would rrrrrrRRRRRRROOOOOO00000 right before he jumped high. I figured it was like the martial arts and the way they grunt when fighting.

[MrMickeysMom]

15. In fact, you have it wrong... cats say,"hello"

I wished that I had recorded my recently departed 18 year old cat who would roam around after play time and say, "hell-oh, hell-oh".

[old mark]

18. Our cat says " NOW!!!!", usually standing at the food dishes.....nt

[kedrys]

19. Quark barks

I think he spent too much time hanging out with dogs when he was little.

Socrates gronks. Plato whines. Neutrino purrs even when a meow would be called for. Evie, well, glares - but when she screams, the whole planet hears her.

All of them have a common vocab of complex sounds, and each of them has a call sign and some individual vocalizations. It's endlessly fascinating.

[DevonRex]

21. I saw on PBS one time that the "meow" is only used to talk to humans.

They have a host of other noises that they use in other situations and with each other.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

23. I can hear mine in the next room, muttering and humming to each other.

They never meow when they are conversing among themselves, but they chatter and murmur and trill and squeak. When they want something from me, however, they make meowish sounds, though seldom an actual "meow" -- usually it's a word like "YOWWW!" or "ARROOWWW!"

[DevonRex]

24. Heh. Along the way they figured out which noises make us do their bidding.

I'm such a sucker for all my cat's noises. The one that cracks me up is the gripey one that ends in "hmmmph." That's the one she uses when I got home later than usual and she hasn't had her dinner yet.

[UTUSN]

22. To dumb-down so that people can understand!1 n/t

[Orsino]

25. Because "I will kill you in your sleep" was too much of a giveaway. n/t

[ashling]

26. It is a mystery

and beyond the ability of humans to comprehend. I think Tennyson put it best:

"Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do or ...."
_Charge of the Cat Brigade

[mockmonkey]

27. They can't pronounce "n"

they mean ME NOW!

[stray cat]

28. LOL -

[Haole Girl]

29. I truly think they believe they are talking to us

At least, mine do!